Pope abolishes rule that kept church sex abuse cases top secret

  17 December 2019    Read: 1115
Pope abolishes rule that kept church sex abuse cases top secret

Pope Francis has issued an order removing the highest level of secrecy covering child sex abuse cases involving the clergy, a move demanded by campaigners as part of sweeping changes to the way the church deals with abuse allegations.

Critics said the claim of "pontifical secrecy" was used by accused Church officials to avoid cooperating with authorities.

The measures brought by the Pope on Tuesday change universal Church law, requiring the reporting of suspicions of sex abuse to civil authorities and forbidding attempts to silence those who report sex abuse or allege they have been a victim.

 

The Independent


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